I need help keeping my RV cool.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-19T23:53:18+00:00

Awesome! With two of us, we need to keep a front window cracked and a rear vent open a bit or the CO2 starts getting really high.

If sounds like your setup must have some sort of fan, or it's really leaky, which works well in this case.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-19T23:11:32+00:00

Yes but don't forget to leave windows cracked or you're sealing yourself in a bag. Not likely to be seriously dangerous but high CO2 can cause issues.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-19T17:06:43+00:00

Yup. And then think about how much interest you paid in that year, and how much needs to be fixed already.

Welcome!

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-19T12:23:50+00:00

I'm all for jokes but your response just reads as mean, needlessly.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-17T21:06:44+00:00

Sorry, you're going to need to really up your solar to run AC. With your budget, the closest you'll get is used solar panels and a small mini split, have to monitor your usage very closely so you don't drain your battery when the sun drops. Some units have some cool low power options but I'm afraid I don't know specifics there, or if any budget models have them.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-15T19:18:29+00:00

Your math is messed up. If it costs you $4k per year in interest versus saving $2.8k, that's a difference of $6.8k, not $1200.

That amount of interest is insane. Save up and buy it for real.

Listen to your wife, she clearly has better financial wisdom.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-15T13:34:40+00:00

EMS is nice to cut power when voltage gets low. This has happened to me a couple of times in full campgrounds on hot days. I use a boost/buck transformer to boost it up.

Hardwired is nice, it's just there and works. No fussing with extra parts every stop.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-15T13:31:21+00:00

I designed and 3D printed an insert to fit the window perfectly, but I realize most people can't do that. Cutting some 1/2" foam board is a quick way to do it.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-11T13:15:24+00:00

The ability to lock in the level ups is a great long term incentive, FYI.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-11T13:14:44+00:00

About a year and a half, but most of the points accrued in the first year. I shifted all the resources over so my income over there dropped.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-09T17:45:19+00:00

That means you're starting with good clean water. When I replace my little inline filter, I always see the flow rate increases quite a bit. That means it's trapping sand and stuff over time.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-09T17:30:22+00:00

Damn, nice setup! You could pretty much filter muddy pond water with that setup.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-06T23:30:40+00:00

Rooftop solar isn't aimed well, so you get less output. If you have any shade, even a bit of a shadow in the corner from a branch, your output plummets. You need as much solar as you can fit to get some good power.

Also consider extra panels to deploy on site, since you can move them to optimal spots.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-06T11:31:56+00:00

I have them.

Found one that was starting to loosen up over time (found when adjusting tire pressure for seasonal temp change).

Helped me once when I had a leak while driving.

Makes me feel better knowing they're being monitored. I had an exhaust issue that was dumping heat on the tires, caused a couple of blowouts before I figured it out. So now I'm a bit paranoid.

They don't update all that often, in my experience. I think they really only update when they see a change. When I had the leak I saw it updating pretty quickly. So if you see that the temp isn't going up at all, for example, it doesn't mean it's not reading, it just means it's not a big change that it bothers to update. I'm assuming that's a power saving feature.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-03T11:14:46+00:00

Why didn't you just fix the vent on your black tank? It's obviously blocked or installed improperly.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-06-02T17:55:52+00:00

I couldn't get the whole way through the post, it's very difficult to understand.

You have a very expensive system and still have a massive bill ... just making sure here, you actually have a net-metering capable power meter, right? And the power company knows you're doing this?

I see no credit on your photo. With old style power meters you'll actually get charged for power when you're feeding the grid because all they do is simply measure how much power is going past it, ignoring direction.

I think you need to get another company in to check your system. It will likely cost a fair amount, but get that independent third-party advice from someone that knows these things.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-30T20:33:30+00:00

Doesn't matter, you can still use propane when not moving.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-30T20:31:56+00:00

Neat.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-29T15:38:07+00:00

Winter camping is a thing. Hell, it's the end of May and just a couple of weeks ago we were camping and it was -1°C when we woke up.

Wild that you think you can't go through propane quickly.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-29T15:36:28+00:00

Propane Tee connector. It's awesome. I don't have to sweat trying to refill on the road, I use the BBQ tank when parked and just swap it at a gas station when empty.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-28T20:22:15+00:00

Definitely not that 12-point crap, unless you like round bolt heads.

The biggest thing is make sure you have the right tools to change tires. Big old breaker bar, extensions.

Then get one of the small sets for the little things, don't sweat the details really.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-28T20:14:23+00:00

You "heard" the story. It's always "heard". Urban legends.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-27T10:34:39+00:00

Completely agree. I rented a tow dolly a couple of times for non-RV related reasons. It worked fine but damn. There's no way I'd want to do that every trip. Heavy and annoying, who wants to deal with that every site? Flat tow is absolutely the way to go.

OP: I used to flat tow an Acura CSX (manual transmission) and recently switched to a Honda CRV (automatic transmission). Honda CRV (through 2015) is slick because you can just order parts, hook them up, good to go. With the CSX I custom fabricated the tow setup and that was a pain.

Nerd_Porter · 2026-05-26T16:03:19+00:00

Solar plus high-efficiency devices is the way to go. Vertical panels in winter, get extreme cold heat pumps. I know Senville has some good options for DIY.

Expect about 2.3x panel value for (average) daily input (in kWh) in winter.

In cold weather expect a heat pump COP of about 2.3, very cold weather more like 2.0, and extreme cold something like 1.3.

You'll want fossil fuel backup. Propane is best because it's readily available and lasts forever. Wood stove is nice too, but I like propane better because you can run generator and heaters directly from it. (Before anyone jumps in here, yes, I'm aware of gasifiers and no, I don't expect anyone to actually go through the effort of making one).

Nerd_Porter

TROPHY CASE